The Official Blog of the Independent Community of Educators, a caucus of the United Federation of Teachers

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

ICE-TJC High School Executive Board Candidates

Peter Lamphere is a union activist and teacher at the Bronx High School of Science. Previously, Peter was a UFT Delegate from Columbus High School where he led a rare UFT victory to stop his school from being closed completely. The fact that there is a Columbus High School at all that is still in existence is due in no small part to Peter’s organizing ability.

Sam Lazarus has over twenty years experience as a teacher. He currently works at Bryant High School where he is in year four as chapter leader. Sam organized his school and region in leading a Region 4 protest rally that successfully put a stop to Region 4 micromanagement. Teachers in Region 4 are no longer required to use the “workshop model” in all of their lessons thanks to Sam’s organizing and his ability to organize the UFT to join the fight. It was Sam’s idea that the UFT should combine with other unions rather than accept the horrible giveback laden 2005 Contract.

Marian Swerdlow was educated in NYC public schools, and has a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University. She is the author of "Underground Woman: My Four Years as a NY Subway Conductor." She has taught at FDR H.S., Brooklyn since 1990, and has been a UFT Delegate for twelve years. She has presented many resolutions at the UFT Delegate Assembly including many attempts to persuade the Union leadership to actively engage the rank and file.

Nick Licari is the longtime chapter leader from Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan where he teaches. Nick helped to elect the only two independent, non Unity District Representatives back when there were elections for that position. Nick is a strong advocate for his members at Norman Thomas and he has led several demonstrations to protest conditions at his school. Nick was the Teachers for a Just Contract candidate for President in the 2004 UFT election.James Eterno is a twenty year veteran social studies teacher at Jamaica High School who has been chapter leader for 11years. He has been elected to the UFT Executive Board for ten years, seven in New Action and the last three as an ICE-TJC representative. Eterno left NAC when they decided not to run against Randi in 2004. He has authored numerous resolutions that have become Union policy including a recent proposal to demand that the UFT oppose the closing of schools. He argued against Mayoral Control of the schools as early as 2001 when Randi first argued in favor of it.

Jeff Kaufman is the Chapter Leader of Rikers Island Academy. Even though the Department of Corrections along with the Principal at Rikers conspired in 2005 to have Jeff removed from the school because he was helping a student, his chapter still overwhelmingly reelected him as their chapter leader. Kaufman was completely exonerated by the DOE and has taken his case to return to Rikers to the State Public Employees Relations Board. Jeff has questioned Randi on numerous occasions at the Executive Board where he has served for the last three years. Jeff made a demand that the UFT hire staff to do our own investigations when teachers are removed from schools. Why should we rely on special investigations people to make the only record of any incident?James Eterno (left center) and Jeff Kaufman (right) at Oct. 2005 rally at UFT HQ calling for a NO VOTE on the 2005 contract.

Jeff and James also led a vociferous opposition to the Fact Finding report that led to the Draconian givebacks of the 2005 Contract. First, they warned Randi in 2004 not to go to fact finding because they knew we would lose based on precedent of 1993 and 2002. Randi ignored them. Then, they told Randi to reject the Fact Finding Report when it was released and to start all over. She again reacted with anger. Finally, when the final Contract was agreed to, they pointed out all of its flaws and made the case the Contract would be a disaster for UFT members. Randi’s reaction has been to attend fewer Executive Board meetings and when she does show up, she usually is only there for part of the meetings. If she can’t face tough questions from UFT Executive Board members, then how can she stand up to the Mayor?

50 comments:

I am beginning to think that maybe Bloomberg-Klein are paying you guys! That's right! That would be something else, wouldn't it? I find it amusing that you say something to the effect that "we don't mean this to be a personal attack on Randi." Well, guys, grow up! It is a personal attack on her, and it's a personal attack on me because I believe in the UNION that she has been working hard to create. She represents our UNION and you are practically advocating she loses her license, tenure, or whatever so that YOU make a political point and sound to those that have simple minds as true unionist. The truth is that you are not UNIONISTS. Randi is a UNIONIST. You guys are just full of hatred, fear mongering individuals who frankly have lost the little respect I had for you. When Randi advocated for Jeff Kauffman to be returned back to teaching after he was reassigned for an inappropriate relationship with one of his students - you guys didn't complain (NY Times). When Randi advocated on behalf of James Eterno's school - you didn't complain (NY Teacher). When Randi advocated for the return of Sam Lazarus to his school after he was reassigned on allegations made by a student - you didn't complain either (source at Bryant H.S.) You thanked her publicly because she did a good job. However, now you turn around and claim she can't speak on behalf of teachers because of her limited teaching experience. Guys, it didn't take me long to find out this profession is a HARD profession. It didn't take me long to know I needed more pay. It didn't take me long to figure out I wanted fewer kids in my classes. It didn't take me long to figure out that my principal didn't have a clue as to what my kids needed. It didn't take me long to know I needed to be respected. I could care less how long she taught. She gets it. She fights for me. She fights for all of us, including those that in other unions wouldn't last very long because they are not true unionists. Have you read the NY POST? Have you read the Daily News editorial page? Are you going to tell me that Bloomber-Klein control RAndi? Again, it wouldn't surprise me if ICE-TJC is a front for BLOOMBERG-KLEIN so that they split this union. REJECT KLEIN-BLOOMBERG-KLEIN-TJCF. VOTE FOR RANDI. MAINTAIN THE UNION!!

(referring to Bloomberg and Klein's policies )But they face opposition. The United Federation of Teachers is orchestrating a vocal, visible campaign that casts Bloomberg's reforms as the work of inept bureaucrats. And, give her credit, UFT President Randi Weingarten has done a masterful job of pulling together a Noah's Ark of advocates and packaging them as the one true voice of city parents.

Terrific propagandist that she is, Weingarten leads the bunch as a champion of powerless parents facing despots out to wreak havoc on their children's education. But she is championing only her members' interests, because what's threatened is a status quo with virtually no accountability and gross inequities in school funding.

Let's see Sam won his election by almost two to one in 2003 and he was reelected without opposition last year. I think he must have done a pretty good job of organizing his chapter. Unity people hate facts.

That is not Jeff! Jeff never wears a tie. It's always the same old t-shirt with his belly sticking out. Usually even if you can't see him, you know it's him because his sentences usually begin with "objection!"

Ah the old "BloomKlein is paying for all these expensive blogs" smear from Unity. They used to say Guiliani was paying for Ed Notes. Standard Operating procedure from a failed leadership clawing to remain in power in the cushioned confines of 52 Broadway.

Can you be a little more specific about what specifics you are asking about? How about cutting the salaries of all union emplyees to be more in line with teachers? How about ending automatic dues increases? How about changing the constitution so the Exec. bd reflects the people in the schools and not full and part-time union employees? How about calling for an end to mayoral control and the institution of some system that will give teachers some say in anything related to education? How about actually standing in opposition to giving non-qualified people waivers to become chancellors instead of cheeerleading on the sidelines?("It is all so breathtakingly possible" - Randi Weingarten) I had trouble breathing when I heard that one.How about putting class size on the negotiating table?How about backing teachers who are taken from their schools in handculffs instead of telling them we wil get you a lawyer for your arrainment while the district rep doesn't return the teacher's call for 3 weeks?Oh, I could go on. But we are so negative.

Ed Notes doesn't map a strategy for effectively dealing with Bloomberg-Klein. Sure, it will make him feel good if Randi comes out and says "Bloomberg you are an idiot!" And then what? Sure it would make him feel good but the conservative right wing trends around the city, state, and nation will still be in place. You just want to have her grand stand and not consider the effectiveness of it. What a simple minded man you are! I am curious about something. If you had control of the Executive Board, what would you do? What strategies would come out of there to deal with Bloomberg-Klein, NCLB, and conservative anti-union trends throughout the nation? Give me specifics.

Whether she says it or not, I think everyone knows how Randi feels about mayoral control. Ask the Daily News, ask the Post. Now, if you guys want her to come out and say "I am against Mayoral control", I think it wouldn't be a very smart thing for her to do at this point. I guess typically people like to hear these meaningless but cheerleading phrases. May I remind you of "Mission Accomplished", "We'll have a man in Mars in 25 years", "We will rebuild New Orleans", etc. Randi is a good leader. She is an effective leader. You can't judge an entire union on what one District Representative may or may not have done.

I can judge an entire union based on the number of people I am in contact with from all over the city. Ed Notes has covered Weingarten from the day she took over the union. If you want to know how Randi feels about mayoral control and any number of issues over the past 10 years, check out back issues. (I admit they are from my particular point of view.) Yes, everyone knows how she feela about mayoral control. She is for it.

How to deal with BloomKlein? Certainly not by jumping on board all their policies while waiting to see how the wind blows. That's an effective leader? If you think Randi is an effective leader I cannot believe you spend a full day teaching in the average school in NYC.

Look what the small schools push into the large schools has done to the system. Check some of the analyis of ICE's John Lawhead as to the impact on Tilden and other large schools. John wrote about this in Ed Notes back in 2003. We called for a moratorium on the placing these small schools into large high schools and also on the closing of large schools. We called for more resources than police in Impact schools. The"effective" leader went along with all of this. An effective leader would have raised the alarm and refuse to cooperate. (Check out what Unitys' Peter Goodman has been doing all these years -- helping put these schools into large buildings.) An effective leader would have been able to judge the impact (and consider this stricly from a union point of view in the breaking up of large strong chapters into 4 weak ones-- one of the aims of BloomKlein) and put some effort into putting a stop to it. Instead we got a cheerleader.

Let's take the Maria Colon case. She is a whistlblower and a chapter leader and is railroaded into the rubber room for a year and a half. This incident and other like the teacher being arrested requires a stron response not "we'll get you a NYSUT lawyer" an dbasically wash their hands. There's no sense of outrage. Remember when Randi et al opposed the Ed Notes reso to strengthen chapter lesders at a time way before (1998-9) BloomKlein. (and by the way, that reso came because of a Unity CL who came to me for help.)

What would I do NOW? After the enemy is running rampant? And many chapters are in disarray?

To repair the damage done by BloomKlein and the ineffective Weingarten response will take an enormous effort. Every single person I talk to says they would leave if they could and retirees shudder at the thought of being in the schools.

Measure the effectiveness of a leader by the objective conditions in the schools. She took the money. BloomKlein were willing to pay to get things in place they wanted, like a contract that is barely enforced. They aren't stupid. They bought her cooperation with money.

Oh. And the reason Weingarten gets to make dumb decisions and get away with it is the rubber stamp Ex bd. You know the PR people are the ones she consults. Yes, even she would be a more effective leader if she had a more diverse board that would stand up to her when necessary.

The fact that she and others in the leadership pay so much attention to the opposition like ICE (look how far she goes by giving New Action 5 guaranteed seats on the new board and 3 more if they win the high schools. And she holds meetings with them to cater to them. Can you imagine Shanker doing that?) is a sign of her priorities.

The most specific thing I would do would be to create a democratic union as a first step.

Ednotes. I for one am standing up to applaud you! There is a big difference between looking at the facts and having your own view, albeit slanted one way or the other and the self serving spin our union leadership participates in. While I can understanding differing points of view, I don't see how anyone can not see and admit that our leadership at least appears to regularly leave out information and/or straight out misrepresent their results. It's interesting to me that Edwize currently has an article up about Bloom's spinning and twisting around the #'s to make his policies seem better, while I consistently read info provided by my Union just as twisted and spun. Hope there's no errors. No time to spell/grammar check this morning. Have a good day everyone. Enjoy your potty patrol and 37 1/2.

Hey 9:35 p.m. on Monday. You show a complete ignorance of anything to do with democracy. Jeff often calls for points of order because he believes that rules should be followed and Unity wants them made up to favor themselves. Nobody at any union forum ever heard him say objection.

Note this bit of Unity slander directed at Sam:"When Randi advocated for the return of Sam Lazarus to his school after he was reassigned on allegations made by a student - you didn't complain either (source at Bryant H.S.)"

A source at Bryant to deflect the fact that the entire union hierarchy knew about Sam and they'd never talk, would they? And note the careful use of the term "allegations made by a student." But if you know so much why don't you tell the full story? I know it and the fact he ended up in the RR was rediculous.

The chapter leader spends 6 weeks in the rubber room while running for re-election and at the end of the school year when the staff really needed a chapter leader in the building. What is the union response when a chapter leader reprersenting hundreds of people is semi-railroaded into a rubber room? Tepid at best. They treat an attack on a chapter leader like just another daily event.

I guess some people thanked the UFT leaders but not me. Maybe if they had not opposed the Ed Notes sponsored resoution years ago calling for special protections for chapter leaders I would thank them. Right now, thanks for nothing.

For years we called for strengthening the grievance procedure with penalites against the BOE/DOE for serious violations.The issue is how these things can happen at all, not what little the UFT does after it happens.

Sam brought a bunch of people from his school and he was certainly one of the people who led the fight against Region 4 micromanagement. Was he the only one? No but was his school central to the fight? Yes.

If Unity/New Action wins the HS executive board seats, there will be no independent voice on the Executive Board, as Weingarten will control all 89 seats.

The New Action leaflet currently being distributed attacks us as just being negative. Sure, like advocating that class size be negotiated in the contract or calling for more protection for teachers or calling for an end to mayoral control and all the evils it entails. Or our long-time position calling for small schools NOT to be used to undermine large schools.

In many ways, Weingarten has adopted the language of the positions we have advocated in an attempt to co-opt us. For her, they are often just words.

It takes a group that is opposed to Unity polices to force changes in the UFT, not a rubber stamp like New Action. You have to be opposed to something to be called an opposition. New Action sits in the councils and begs for crumbs. And that is all they get – crumbs, including their crummy little jobs.

Their leaflet claims that they were against the 2005 contract. So how do they explain the unanimous vote for the contract by the negotiating committee that contained 2 New Action members? Their initial response was so tepid because they feared Weingarten’s wrath and then they came out with a stronger 2nd leaflet that was just distributed at the Delegate Assembly and not to the schools. That was ok with Weingarten, as she knew she needed a bogus opposition for this election. She has rewarded New Action with a guaranteed 5 at-large seats on the Ex bd (they are also running on the Unity slate). If they win the high school seats they will have 8 and ICE-TJC will have none.

ICE-TJC is fielding a very strong group of candidates. Here are their official bios and some personal comments added by me.

Peter Lamphere is a union activist and teacher at the Bronx High School of Science. Previously, Peter was a UFT Delegate from Columbus High School where he led a rare UFT victory to stop his school from being closed completely. The fact that there is a Columbus High School at all that is still in existence is due in no small part to Peter’s organizing ability.

Peter is one of the most impressive young activists to join in the movement for change in the UFT, working with TJC. He was excessed from Columbus last year when they cut 7 math teachers. Peter was running for chapter leader at the time. As a critic of Unity, that did not stop him from working with Unity at the school and central level to help save Columbus.

Sam Lazarus has over twenty years experience as a teacher. He currently works at Bryant High School where he is in year four as chapter leader. Sam organized his school and region in leading a Region 4 protest rally that successfully put a stop to Region 4 micromanagement. Teachers in Region 4 are no longer required to use the “workshop model” in all of their lessons thanks to Sam’s organizing and his ability to organize the UFT to join the fight. It was Sam’s idea that the UFT should combine with other unions rather than accept the horrible giveback laden 2005 Contract.

Sam has worked with ICE over the past 3 years. The support he has of his staff at Bryant (Klein’s alma mater) is overwhelming. Sam brings a broad perspective to teaching, having spent time organizing in the taxi union when he was a cab driver. People in the UFT have great respect for Sam as a teacher and as a union leader.

Marian Swerdlow was educated in NYC public schools, and has a Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University. She is the author of "Underground Woman: My Four Years as a NY Subway Conductor." She has taught at FDR H.S., Brooklyn since 1990, and has been a UFT Delegate for twelve years. She has presented many resolutions at the UFT Delegate Assembly including many attempts to persuade the Union leadership to actively engage the rank and file.

Marian was one of the founders of TJC 15 years ago and I’ve known her for about 12 years. Her powers of analysis and understanding of the issues facing people in the UFT have had a powerful effect. From its earliest days, Ed Notes published Marian’s amazing reports from the delegate assembly. No one works harder than Marian in the effort to organize an effective opposition. Having her on the Executive Board will be a win for all of us and will drive Weingarten crazy.

Nick Licari is the longtime chapter leader from Norman Thomas High School in Manhattan where he teaches. Nick helped to elect the only two independent, non Unity District Representatives back when there were elections for that position. Nick is a strong advocate for his members at Norman Thomas and he has led several demonstrations to protest conditions at his school. Nick was the Teachers for a Just Contract candidate for President in the 2004 UFT election.

Just thinking of the combo of Nick Licari and Jeff Kaufman on the Ex Bd makes us drool. When Nick was announced as the TJC presidential candidate, clearly a non-winnable position at the time, I urged him to run for the winnable HS exec bd. Now my wish has come through and I am thrilled. An incredible organizer and a powerful chapter leader, Nick backs down to no one. We got a taste of what we were missing these past 3 years when a member of his chapter came to speak to the Ex Bd about the incredible harassment that was undergoing for the past year, something the UFT knew about all along but had refused to file a grievance on. Weingarten said, “You want me to come to the school?” Nick exploded out of his seat, “NOW YOU WANT TO COME?” His outrage was so total, that Weingarten blanched. Elect Nick and see a lot of blanching.

James Eterno is a twenty-year veteran social studies teacher at Jamaica High School who has been chapter leader for 11 years. He has been elected to the UFT Executive Board for ten years, seven in New Action and the last three as an ICE-TJC representative. Eterno left NAC when they decided not to run against Randi in 2004. He has authored numerous resolutions that have become Union policy including a recent proposal to demand that the UFT oppose the closing of schools. He argued against Mayoral Control of the schools as early as 2001 when Randi first argued in favor of it.

I’ve known James since his New Action days. He was a major distributor for Ed Notes. As the longest serving opposition Ex bd member at this time, he brings a wealth of experience to the job. He wasn’t happy when Ed Notes was critical of New Action but when the total sell-out came in 2003, it was James and the rest of the people who left New Action in protest who helped form ICE along with independents. James is the chapter leader from heaven for the 200 members at Jamaica HS and it so totally dedicated to his members and to the formation of a viable opposition. I know because I get the 11pm phone calls. Luckily, his amazing wife, Camille Johnson who is running for Secretary on the ICE-TJC ticket, is with him all the way. At their wedding, our table was full of ICE, New Action and even Unity. The prototype of an activist couple, they both have garnered enormous respect from all they come in contact with.

Jeff Kaufman is the Chapter Leader of Rikers Island Academy. Even though the Department of Corrections along with the Principal at Rikers conspired in 2995 to have Jeff removed from the school because he was helping a student, his chapter still overwhelmingly reelected him as their chapter leader. Kaufman was completely exonerated by the DOE and has taken his case to return to Rikers the State Public Employees Relations Board. Jeff has questioned Randi on numerous occasions at the Executive Board where he has served for the last three years. Jeff made a demand that the UFT hire staff to do our own investigations when teachers are removed from schools. Why should we rely on special investigations people to make the only record of any incident?

What else is there to say about Jeff? I’ve only known him for a little over 3 years but it feels like much longer. His defense of the students and teachers at Rikers Island led to his famous rubber room stint in 2005 and the publication of some wonderful articles about him in the Times and elsewhere. A former cop and lawyer, he brings amazing skills to the table as part of the opposition and has clearly surpassed me as the person most hated by Unity. His refusal to back down to Weingarten’s often personal assaults at Exec bd meetings and Del Ass has become legendary. Weingarten doesn’t get to pull her “I’m a lawyer and know better” crap with Jeff around and there is no one she wants off the Ex Bd more than him. She even has started avoiding meetings because of their battles. Jeff founded the popular ICE blog and along with James, continues to run it.

People, including many in Unity assumed Jeff with his leadership skills and notoriety would be the presidential candidate for the opposition. We in ICE know he would have been a worthy opponent to Weingarten. But with TJC offering Kit Wainer who we in ICE like and respect, it made sense to try to keep Jeff on the Ex Bd where he can have the most impact in the long run.

I want to say a few words about Barbara Kaplan-Halpert who served so nobly as the 3rd ICE rep on the Ex Bd for the past 3 years. She was (and continues to be) always there for all of us, our mother hen. For years as I stood outside Del Ass giving out Ed Notes I always received a very encouraging smile and “Keep up the good work” from a woman whose name I did not know. I found out that woman was Barbara three and a half years ago when ICE came together and needed a HS chapter leader to fill out our slate. Barbara came through. And she has never stopped coming through for us.

As chapter leader of Forest Hills HS, she battled for the teachers against the administration and a backstabbing Unity coalition aligned against her. They managed to steal the last chapter election from her with the complicity of the Queens borough office. Barbara will remain active in her school and active in ICE, continuing the fight to make the UFT work in the interests of its members and not the ruling elite.

There is a reason why "allegations made by a student" was used in an earlier blog entry in relation to Sam's visit to the RR. I've heard rumors of what the allegations were, but why list them publicly? But Norm, why don't you tell us what they were? You say they were ridiculous...so...go right ahead and tell us. Oh yeah, Sam organized nothing as far as the workshop is concerned. His part in the rally was no more than Grover Cleveland, LIC, Newtown H.S., Newcomers, and a bunch of schools in District 30, 24, and others. You guys are just full of it. Norm, please, pick up a hobby, move 250 miles away, and entertain yourself for the rest of your life.

Oh yeah, look what ICE has done in most of their schools. They have alienated every new member to our union. Lunatics who yell and scream mostly about nothing, and who look like they just crawled out of a cave are not really respected by our teachers. I have a lot of respect for Eddie Messidor from Forest Hills. Despite Barbara's insanity he ran against her knowing his job would be twice as hard (fighting both the administration and Barbara ICE). Of course, you proved yourselves the silly people you are by trying to steal that election from Eddie. Shameful!

Half the staff plus one didn't think Barbara was crazy until you took that winning vote away. It is well known that of all the UFT boroughs the Queens office is the worst. And that was proven again in this case. The other boroughs would have done the same thing since Weingarten was directing it, but would have been a little more slick about it.

Actually, it is RANDI who is on the "Bloomberg dime." I'll never forget when the camera zoomed in on Bloomberg and her enjoying each other's company at the Yankees playoff game. They are certainly in bed with one another!

Losing foerst hills just shows you are sore losers. As for Sam how many people did he bring to the protest? My shcool in Region 4 brought 30-40% of the staff. He isn't an Ex Bd member so he couldn't bring it as a resolution for action. He did nothing to lead it because if he did he should have had his hundreds of members there and they weren't.

"I can judge an entire union based on the number of people I am in contact with from all over the city."

Besides his long rants here and his obvious free time being retired with a great pension from a union he has not supported in over 20 years (he once he has not voted FOR a contract since the 1970s), it shows a lot of arrogance to tell me how my members feel.

Barbara Kaplan-Halper won Forest Hills' chapter election but the Union upheld a protest by throwing out a ballot that was clearly marked for Barbara.

Sam from Bryant and Gerry Froenhoffer (chapter leader from Aviation HS also running with ICE) were instrumental in bringing up the micromanagement issue to the union. That's what led to the Region 4 protest.

If Sam had nothing to do with it and didn't support any union activity, why was he reelected last year without opposition? Isn't there at least one Unity person in his school? Why didn't anyone run?

I am a teacher at Columbus and let me tell you that Peter had nothing to do with SAVING Columbus. In fact, his comments during OUR fight to keep Columbus a float at times almost back fire our plans. Peter never attended weekend retreats to help the organization of our plan. In retrospect, I can only say we all are glad he fled like a coward to Bronx Science!!!!!!!!

Additionally the Department of Labor provides other reports about the UFT. Go to their site and input file number 063-924 at the top and select the type of report you want to review. These files are in spreadsheet format.